The Labyrinth of Wano
Sweet Dreams! “Miss Super Duper……” the voice trailed from behind her as she scurried throughout the capital of Wano, leaping across the roofs of the buildings. For the citizens of Wano, this was not something out of the ordinary; it wasn’t even close. Miss Super Duper had been trying to escape for nearly a month since she was taken from marines by Legs after she stood up against her on her own ship. However, despite being held captive, Miss Super Duper was given a bed in Legs’ imperial castle and treated akin to royalty. She had learned that during the day, there was no means to escape, especially since her guards and police forced roamed the streets. But night was different. She was stronger at night, and the patrols were scarce. Still, no matter what happened, Legs always seemed to be aware of her ploys. Somehow, she was always one step ahead. Miss Super Duper landed on the ground of the alley before her but waiting for her below was a group of shinobi. The leader of the group stepped forward, smiling as he snapped his fingers. At his command, the entire squad opened their cloaks, revealing dynamite. Boom! Miss Super Duper’s eyes shot open, and her body shot into the air. However, when she looked around, she was resting the bed of her room in the imperial palace. Moment later, a maid by the name of Momo knocked on the door and entered. “Miss Super,” she begun, bowing before her as if she was royalty herself, “You have a long day ahead of you today. To begin, you will have breakfast, and then you will return here to prepare for a meeting with the Empress herself. You have other activities scheduled as well, but you understand how our Empress can sometimes be.” Momo finished her bow. “Would you like for me to arrange you an escort to the dining halls?” Miss Super Duper attempted to calm her rapid breathing and frazzled nerves as she took a second to clarify to herself that what she had experienced was a dream. As she did, her glaring eyes darted towards Momo. "Hopefully "other activities" includes my public execution." Miss Super Duper spat as she tossed her hair back into a ponytail, which had grown noticeably longer since Miss Super Duper's first arrival in Wano. As she tightened the ribbon, she glanced over to a glass display case in the corner of the room. There, in the same condition it had been a month ago, was her Marine uniform lying underneath the glassy surface. She had been forbidden to wear it ever since she was imprisoned, but had massive outbursts of violence whenever anyone tried to destroy it. So for now, this was the most she could do. Miss Super Duper jumped off of her bed, which a noticeably large drop to the ground considering her size. Although she talked and acted like she wasn't the size of a child, she was barely past the waist level of Momo. "Sure I guess..." Miss Super Duper mumbled under her breath as she rubbed her eyes. Momo nodded and held open the door as they both passed through it. They walked down the same hallway they always had; one decorated with various paintings of samurai, shinobi, and heroes that Legs held personal. Momo led the way, and Miss Super Duper followed closely behind. “Ehm, I was informed that you tried to escape again last night, Miss Super Duper,” Momo begun, “You should really reconsider your attempts. That’s the 565th time this month that you’ve been caught, and brought back to your bed, you know." "And I plan on making the magic number 566. I know I've got it right this time." Miss Super Duper said matter of factly, waddling behind Momo in the traditional Wano clothing that Legs had forced her into in order to "integrate" in Wano society better. Miss Super Duper looked at the paintings that adorned the hall as the duo passed and scowled at the sight of pirates and samurai being praised so heavily. One of these days... she would escape. Momo sighed and shook her head in disappointment. “Miss, you’ve been captured in the same way every single time. Well, I guess the illusions have differed perhaps. That is something I’ve been curious about actually,” Momo continued, turning her head to face her. “What does it look like inside that world? Is it always the same thing? Or does our Empress change it up for you?” "Oh well, wouldn't you just LOVE to know..." Miss sneered, folding her arms across her chest before looking away from Momo's gaze. "Obviously I'm not stupid enough to fall for the same thing every time. It's always different, every single time... and it always feels so real and so, so close..." Miss trailed off as her sentence continued until she was completely silent. It was very clear how she felt in regards to her "stay" on Wano. She suddenly looked up again, sniffing quickly and staring straight ahead and lifting her head up slightly. "It's hard to explain." She stated in a flat tone. Momo turned around in the fraught silence and continued walking down the hallway. The sound of their footsteps echoed throughout the enormous corridor as it was designed to fit the Empress herself. They continued until the reached a dining area, where a table had been constructed specifically to fit Miss Super Duper, and pretty much any other person that worked in the imperial palace. Seated on the table were several plates of various delicacies, such as pancakes, bacon, and croissants, complimented with a variety of both, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Momo sat on the seat opposite of the one placed for Miss Super Duper. “The meeting will be soon, so please, take your time, but let’s not keep our Empress waiting.” "She'll live." Miss said blankly. Miss Super Duper didn't consider herself a glutton, but she surely did appear so from every front. Despite her extremely small stature, she was able to eat the myriad of dishes laid out in front of her within a relatively quick timespan. It was almost as though her hunger could not be satiated, and she hadn't shown signs of slowing down until she had eaten the last piece of every dish. As she finished, she let out a sigh and slumped back in her chair. Not from the fatigue of eating, but rather the realization that the "fun part" was over, and she now had to go to Legs. Rather than vocalize anything, she simply looked over and stared at Momo as though she was now capable of mind-reading. As if upon command, various maids and servants rushed to move the dishes and excess food from the table, just as they always did. They made sure not to disrupt Miss Super Duper, nor Momo, in the slightest as the two stood up from their chairs and the two moved towards Legs’ office. Momo pushed her glasses up as she looked towards a clipboard of papers. She eyed the meticulously and pulled out a pen and seemingly scratched something off the agenda. She cleared her throat. “You are to meet with Legs for a brief meeting, followed by an activity of her choosing. After that, you are to report back here, to the dining hall for your lunch and the rest of your grooming so that you may be adequately prepared for the rest of the day. Is that clear?” Miss Super Duper resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she listened to Momo's droning. Not much longer of this... I'm getting out soon, I can feel it. Legs is the only thing in my way... distract her, and I'm home free... Miss thought to herself. "Yeah. Crystal clear." Miss responded with a bored tone. Momo smiled. “Good.” She stepped forward, pulling a lever that opened the two, massive doors in front of them slowly. However, as she did, she turned around and began walking the other direction. “Oh, Miss Super Duper,” she addressed, turning around for a moment. “Please behave yourself.” With that, Momo was gone, allowing Miss Super Duper to step into Legs’ office, decorated with paintings and pictures of herself, her crew, and her family. Legs lifted her head up from behind a massive stack of papers, and her eyes lit up with excitement as she saw Miss Super Duper standing in front of her desk. “Oooo! If it isn’t Koharu! I forgot that today was one of our days together!” Miss Super Duper took a quick glance over either of her shoulders, inspecting her surroundings in hopes of finding this mystery person that Legs was addressing. But alas, there was nobody there. "So you're finally going senile then, old bat." Miss Super Duper said in a matter-of-fact tone and a sobered face. Legs blinked in confusion. “What, why? Because I forgot that we were supposed to spend some time together, Koharu?” Miss Super Duper gave Legs two slow blinks in response, her mouth open slightly. "Yeah... that, and also the fact that Koharu is not my name." Miss Super Duper said, eyebrows raised in a quizzical manner. Legs clapped her hands and smiled. “Oh, of course! I haven’t told you yet, have I? Your alias, Miss Super Duper was just so long and worn out, and you wouldn’t tell me your real name, so I decided that I would give you your own! I’ve worked really hard on figuring one out for you too, so I hope you like it. But, from today, you will be known as Fukuoka Koharu; a member of the Fukuoka Family!” The room was dead silent as the two women stood there, neither saying a word for at least a solid minute and a half. Miss Super Duper was completely stoic, as though she hadn't even heard Leg's speak in the first place. All of the sudden, Miss let out a small snicker, eventually leading into full-out and genuine laughter. She slapped her thigh and bent over as she let out a cute little "ahihihi~." Finally, Miss stopped laughing and wiped her eyes to dry her tears as she let out a deep sigh to regain her breath. "That's... that's real golden... real great..." Miss said, still trying to shake off the rest of her giggles and maintain a somewhat comprehensible speech pattern. "Yeah no, I think that I will stick with Miss Super Duper. You can only take so much of my life away, Titanboa." Miss dismissed Leg's entire declaration, quite literally waving her hand as if she were shooing her off. “Well,” Legs begun, her smile widening, “It’s nice to hear you laugh. I think that might have been one of the few times since you’ve been a citizen of Wano that you’ve actually allowed yourself to chuckle at something.” She lifted a sheet of paper off her desk and pointed towards it. “But this is no joke. This is a document here that verifies your identity in Wano, and according to it, your name is now Fukuoka Koharu. You’ll accept it soon enough, I assume. After-all, you’re looking quite lovely in the Kimono that you’ve been provided.” "Koharu" wasn't entirely sure why Legs thought that her laughter was spawned from anything positive. In reality, it was quite the opposite. Legs had stripped her of everything about her life; her uniform, her alliance, and now her name. Although it wasn't visible, Koharu was scared. Scared because she knew she was powerless in the grasp of a Yonko, and powerless to do anything except yield to her whim. Koharu unclenched her hands to stop her fingernails from digging into her palms, but she still felt like she was frozen solid. She finally let out a sigh. "Fine." She whispered. Legs smirked. “Good.” She retook her seat, reattending to her papers as she continued talking. “You did pretty well, yesterday. You surprised me, but your mistake was jumping into the alley. You never want to jump into a place where an enemy could be waiting; especially someplace that isn’t visible like that. I just had my shinobi positioned in the dark, waiting for you. But, still, nevertheless, I was impressed. It’s about time that you started making strides.” Legs flipped a sheet of paper over. “Are you planning on trying again tonight?” Koharu was silent for a small while. She disliked how Legs treated her tries for freedom as nothing more than a trial-and-error run, but there was a small voice deep inside of her that liked the praise from such a powerful figure. As for her escape, she was conflicted on what exactly to say. On one hand, she could lie to Legs in a desperate attempt to make her let her guard down. However, both of them knew that Koharu would indeed try — and almost surely fail — to escape once more. Koharu then decided on a nice middle ground. "I'm still deciding." She finally said, tilting her head upwards to look Legs in the eyes. “You have the ability to escape whenever you want, Koharu. It isn’t your ability that’s holding you back. You are more than skilled enough to slip out of my grasp,” Legs refuted, lifting her head up from her papers to give Koharu all of her attention. “No, it’s because you do not desire to escape from this place. You can pretend all you want, but there is a beauty in having everything you want. You are fed your favorite foods; you are bestowed with the best comforts that the world has to offer. But, more than anything, you get the opportunity to test your abilities every day.” She smiled. “There is nothing wrong with wanting power, Koharu. Absolutely nothing. And I have no problems teaching you. But you must admit that you want me to teach you. I cannot force anything upon you.” Koharu scoffed at the notion that she was able to escape all along. One doesn't try hundreds of times to escape from a giant omnipotent spider goddess and her feudal kingdom just to test their own capabilities. She crossed her arms and looked mildly disturbed after the thought of self-sabotage entered her mind. Clearly it wasn't her fault, she was kidnapped! The amenities weren't horrible, however. "No amount of delicacies and fancy curtains are going to erase the fact that thousands of innocents have perished under the boot of your militaristic empire. I don't care to hear your justifications again. It is simply irrefutable that you've committed countless atrocities, and your goons have committed countless more. This has nothing to do with my power, but it sure has everything to do with yours." Koharu said in a hateful tone, a slight inflection in her voice indicating a verbal attack. “Oh?” Legs inquired amusedly, her tone reflecting her curiosity that arose from Koharu’s words. From the moment that Koharu had stood up against, Legs, she could see the potential in her eyes; how she was destined to achieve greatness. She understood more than anyone else in the marines the truths of the world, and even during her stay on Wano, she hadn’t seemed to forget them. It was why Legs was so tolerant of her actions. Because, truthfully, she reminded her of herself when she was younger. Albeit, a lot shorter. “What do you mean by that statement, Koharu? Are you implying that my superior strength is preventing you from escaping? Are you admitting that I am so far above you?” Koharu scoffed again and looked off to one of the corners of the room. "No matter how true that may be, it is irrelevant." "Like I said, this has nothing to do with my power, nor does it have anything to do with your power's relation to mine. You feel the constant need to extend your power in every aspect of your life, every nook, cranny, and crevice. Whether or not this was before or after you ate your Devil Fruit, I am unsure. I know now that it is a vessel to build-up tangible defenses around your intangible troubles." Koharu spoke bold words for someone in her position. This was because she knew that she had been chosen specifically from her group of Marines for a reason... Legs said so herself. If she really had grown tired of her, she would've disposed of her already. Yet, she hadn't. Koharu looked over and locked eyes with Legs once more, a faint and nearly invisible smirk crept onto her face. "I suppose Haoshoku isn't as discriminatory as people think when it comes to strong wills..." She murmured. “Intangible troubles? Weak-will?” Legs spoke again, leaning in closer towards Koharu. “Tell me, exactly what do you mean? For what troubles could I have in this beautiful land, aside from all this paperwork, and, of course, a troublesome girl?” Legs continued, giving Koharu a pointed look. “Go on, speak your mind, since you know so much about me, Koharu.” "I won't stand here and pretend like I'm all-knowing... I'm different from you in that regard, Titanboa. But it doesn't take a scholar to know about your greatest slip-up during the Civil War. After all, it was because of your power that the daimyo targeted the Fukuoka Clan, no? Turns out he shouldn't have been so afraid in the first place... you were decimated. Your husband and people slain and your country in shambles while you were imprisoned took an amazing toll on you... that is a given." Koharu looked out of the window with a blank expression, as though she were telling a story she had heard thousands of times before. "I'm no mind reader. But if I had to take a guess, I'd say your whole reason for the Black Widow Pirates wasn't based on taking Wano back. It was based on a self-destructive thirst for vengeance... and yet once you got your vengeance, the hole was still there. So you needed more, more to smother the guilt you have of disrupting the once peaceful Wano Country. You expanded, you recruited, you pillaged... the list goes on. And here you are now. In the same place that you were after the war... but at least you have some nice interior design now." “Woah!” Legs started; her eyes wide as she listened to Koharu’s speech. “You’ve done so much research since you’ve been here. I’m truly impressed, child! However….” The smile that once occupied Legs’ visage faded into a blank expression. “To suggest that I would conquer the world for something as petty as vengeance is something, I would have never expected you to say, Koharu.” She slid her papers aside and squinted. “Koharu, look into my eyes and tell me what you see.” Koharu was surprised at Leg's reaction to her speech. She thought that it would likely strike a nerve with her... but apparently, this beast's nerves died off long ago. Koharu took a deep breath and turned to face Legs, looking into her eyes. "I see... my captor." Koharu said flatly. A Land Before Time “Look closer,” Legs replied, making eye contact with Koharu. In that moment, the room itself began to shift and transform into a kaleidoscope of colors and fabrics, as if the two were traveling through a museum of colors and paintings. However, suddenly, they stopped, and what emerged between Koharu’s blink was a barren wasteland, littered with the bodies of the fallen. There were samurai, shinobi, men, women, children, farmers…the villages and rice farms that could be seen in the distance were lit by a flame that had been burning for days. “Koharu, welcome,” Legs’ voice emanated from behind her. But, upon turning around, Koharu would see that Legs was no longer sixty feet tall, but instead only six feet tall. Still, she was twice the size of Koharu, but she was far more manageable by these regards. Legs walked next to her and stood beside her, taking in the scenery for herself. “Tell me, where do you think we are, Koharu.” Koharu stumbled backwards by the sudden shock of being seemingly transported to another place and time. She rubbed her eyes and yet the scenery hadn't reverted back to normal, the piles of bodies still littered the landscape. Koharu looked towards Legs, who was now considerably smaller. At least this way, she knew that it was really an illusion. Koharu tried to remain expressionless during her intake of the view, but her eyes gave off a very faint sense of compassion. She opened her mouth and whispered, "Wano. 1535." “Incorrect,” Legs started. “This is Wano in year 1528. This was long before the Wano Civil War, and this day is the first day that I set foot on this place. I was 33 years old at the time, and I was betrothed to the slated patriarch of the Fukuoka Family. It was among the first wave of Kumamushi who were integrated into the mainlands of Wano. This is a village that I passed through on my way to meet the Fukuoka Family. It was the first thing I saw of the real Wano.” Legs exhaled. “This is the Wano that isn’t taught in the history books, Koharu. Monkey D. Luffy, the pirate King of legend, came to this nation and freed it from the clutches of Kaido and Shogun Orochi. It was truly heroic; however, he held no allegiance to this place. Luffy was a liberator, not a governor, and places that are liberated do not become paradises. They become battlefields that are subject to petty politics of the elite,” Legs continued, taking a step forward through the wasteland, and gesturing Koharu to follow her. “It wasn’t much later that I learned that the entirety of the country had been split into various districts called prefectures that local Daimyo fought over, using shinobi, samurai, mercenaries, and pretty much whatever else they could get their hands on. The only reason that the Fukuoka had even taken a Kumamushi into their clan was so that I could produce suitable, powerful heirs that would grow up to become strong warriors capable of conquering the other clans. But, that was something I wouldn’t learn to much later.” Legs turned around briefly. “The peaceful Wano that you spoke of didn’t exist. It didn’t exist prior to Monkey D. Luffy, and it sure as hell didn’t exist after it. This era of our history is so bloody, in fact, that we call it the Era of the Warring States. In these short ten years, the life expectancy of a citizen of Wano was thirty years old.” Legs' story had apparently fallen upon deaf ears, as Koharu appeared completely unphased as she listened to the explanation. She looked straight ahead to the horizon and crossed her arms across her chest. "I never said there was a paradise here. Of course there wouldn't be peace in an area so uncivilized and unaided by the World Government... it is interesting that you think you were the most capable of bringing Wano to civilization however." Koharu said matter-of-factly. "I'm sure the Marines could've done much better..." She mumbled under her breath. "I agree," Legs responded. "They could have done much better than the Daimyō, and much better than me. I truly believed that. But they didn't." Around the two, the wasteland funneled into a mist crafted from sand and dust, until they were overlooking a small town from atop a cliff. The town was the opposite of the wasteland that they had just visited. Instead, the grounds were plush with grass and vegetation, the buildings and homes were decorated with ornaments, and were of immeasurable size. Though, there was one building in particular that drew the attention of everyone in the town, not for its design, but because of the people that stood outside it. "Justice," Legs continued. "That was the first I read when I saw the marines. My people had told me stories of how the Daimyō used them to secure their territories from ruffians and bandits. So, I had nothing but the utmost respect for them. Still, nothing excited me more than when I first encountered one," Legs explained, pointing down towards a group of individuals that walked throughout the village towards this building. There was a woman of a notable stature with long, blue hair that extended towards her waist, bearing a forehead protector that bore "忍者": Shinobi. Beside her was a much shorter man who perhaps approached her waist, but nevertheless was an enormous, titan of a human. They were no other than the Fukuoka Family, and these two were no other than Koyuki and Sarutobi, the future matriarch and patriarch of the family. "I was new to this way of life. When I was set to marry Sarutobi, I was aware that the main lands of Wano were not entirely safe. It's why I volunteered among my sisters to go to a shinobi clan. The members of the Kumamushi Royal Family are expected to learn proper technique, just in case we were ever challenged by a chieftain for our titles. Among my family, I was the most skilled. Some credited it to my possession of the Kumo Kumo no Mi, Model: Tsuchigumo, but all members of the Royal Family must consume a fruit. They grow in a sacred garden on our homeland," Legs continued to explain, looking over at Koharu. "No, I was simply talented. There was nothing else to it. By the time I was twenty, I had already mastered the Kumamushi way of fighting, and two years among living as a Fukuoka, I was already a seasoned Kunoichi. I swore upon myself that I would fight alongside my husband. I refused to sit back and watch him march off to war alone." As she continued talking, Koyuki and Sarutobi stopped twenty feet away from the manor and simply waited until a man, bearing a crown and cane stepped from within his residence. There were a plethora of samurai, and marines, who emerged with him. It was obvious, more than anything, that they were their protection. "Ah, the Fukuoka Family!", he addressed excitedly, "It is an honor to have you here! Thank you for responding to my summons." Sarutobi stepped forward. "Daimyō Akechi, it is our pleasure. For what have you summoned us for?" "I have a job prepared for you, of course! See, Ieyasu and I are having a small dispute over the rice farms to the north of this territory. He seems to believe that they are his, whereas I believe that they are rightfully mine", Akechi explained with a smirk. "I was fortunate enough to use the taxes levied from my serfs to purchase a squadron of marines, but their services are too steep for an operation such as this. I need the Fukuoka Family to help finish the job that they already started. I want Daimyō Ieyasu destroyed, completely." "No," Koyuki replied as she stepped forward. "The Fukuoka Family does not involve ourselves in assassinations of Daimyō, nor in invasive forces. We focus entirely on protection. You know that more than anyone else, Akechi." "Ah, yes. I figured you might say that," Akechi responded, snapping his fingers. In response, the marines brought about a chain of children. Koyuki grit her teeth. "Those are-" "Yes, they are some of the Fukuoka children that were lost after you guys defended my southern border. The marines here found them on route, and decided to bring them to me," Akechi revealed. "They sold them to me for cheap too. Which is why I took the time to summon you here. This service, I'll surely pay you for it, but if you refuse it...I might have to have some fun here with these little girls. Oh, how beautiful they.." ''"Fine," Sarutobi interrupted. "We'll take your job. We ask for no compensation. Just the release of those children when it is completed." Akechi smiled. "Of course." Legs watched the scene unfold before her eyes quietly. Koharu watched the scene with her hands clenched tightly at her sides, and admired the beauty of Wano and younger Legs, who was apparently much nicer. However, a wave of heat and anxiety flooded over her once the Marines brought in a chain of children and the man accompanying them had announced his intentions with them. She felt sick to her stomach at the thought of children being used as the currency in a wartime exchange. This, along with the realization that Legs was not originally as power-hungry as Koharu thought her to be, caused her to force her eyes shut in an attempt to block out the visual. “Can you guess what I did next, Koharu?” "You killed the daimyo?" Koharu guessed, as though she was a child learning something new for the first time. The emotion that Koharu was feeling at this time could most accurately be described as uncomfortable. She felt that Legs was exposing intimate details of her backstory just because Koharu had doubted her before. In a way, she almost felt guilty for accusing her so quickly. The Awakening Legs snapped her fingers, teleporting them across time in the illusion of Wano that she created; the castle was in flames, and the fields surrounding was littered with the decrepit bodies of the fallen, but there was something odd about them…something sinister. Then, Legs’ younger version came into frame as the very same daimyo that ordered the mission crawled against the ground, panting, and desperate. “Please! L-L-Lady Koyuki, I beg of you!” Legs grabbed her in his hand and clenched her fist. His blood splattered across her hand, yet, in death, his spirit did not return to the afterlife. Instead, it oozed like a liquid into through the pores of her hand, etching itself deep within Legs’ herself. “We had done as he asked, but he didn’t obey his portion of the agreement,” Legs continued, pointing to the bodies of the dead Fukuoka around them. “After we returned, weakened from battle, he wanted to eliminate us to mask his involvement. He wanted to seem like a hero. So, I killed this Daimyo…and his marines as well.” She looked down at Koharu. “I killed all of them. Every. Single. One.” She refaced the scene, taking a step forward in a fit of nostalgia. “But, this wasn’t the end for me. You see, when I saw those children dead, I realized something had to be done. I realized that this country needed peace; a territory where kids could be free to grow old, and free. So,” Legs explained, turning around to reveal another change of environment. It was the same place, but the castle was rebuilt, bearing the insignia of the Fukuoka Family and the dozens of vassal shinobi clans that they had acquired during their venture to change the world. It was a town of some sort, defended by shinobi, maintained by shinobi, and built by shinobi. Legs smiled. “I called it paradise. A place where ninja clans could come to grow. It was a neutral territory. We didn’t seek to expand, nor to conquest. We just wanted freedom from war. When people have other options except fighting, they take them. I learned that better than anyone. But, the daimyo didn’t share my same vision. The daimyo of this land viewed my accumulation of shinobi clans as a form of power grasp. They wanted shinobi to work for them! To fight for them! To kill and die for them! But all they….” Legs paused. “You know what happens next. They declare war on us. Them, and the World Government. We go to war.” Images of warfare manifested as Legs walked forward, gesturing Koharu to follow. There were visions of samurai dying by her hand, her husband, Akechi, falling to a blade, and her own parents finding themselves cut down by an enemy swordsman. All of the images coalesced into all, but one. Legs and her generals glanced at the table of details and plans. “Another shipment of marines have arrived. The daimyo outnumber us 20 to 1. If we head to battle tomorrow, we’re going to lose horribly. Our men are in bad shape. We….I think this is the end,” he finally claimed, his tone expressing a relief. “It’s been a long war. I’m—” “Yes, it has been a long war, Omoi-senpai. Thank you for serving underneath of me, and having faith,” Legs expressed, a gentle smile forming over her visage. “But, I need you to live on to retake this country when the time comes. It seems that the world is not ready for our flames of rebellion, but they will need men like you to help usher these flames into a new era.” '' Another general stood up. “K-Koyuki-sama, what do you mea-?”'' '' “I mean, none of you will go to battle tomorrow. Only me.”'' “WHAT! WE COULD NEVER ALLOW YOU TO DO SUCH A THING!” “You’re right,” Legs agreed, snapping her fingers, creating a dissonant, echo in the council room. “Which is why, I’m sorry to have to put you all under this illusion. You won’t realize that even happened until it’s too late. But, as your matriarch, it is my turn to prove my worth….This war has taken a toll on you, but, because of my powers, it has made me stronger than I could have ever imagined. It’s a pity that it took war for me to manifest my fullest potential.” She turned around and began to walk out the room as her generals sat in place, paralyzed by her devil fruit powers. “Your orders are to retreat and fit in with society. Allow me to die for that opportunity.” Legs smiled. “It was during this war that I learned that my devil fruit has a special ability that allows me to strengthen my illusions, on one condition. I consume the essence of every enemy that I slay, similar to a Tsuchigumo yokai, and with each enemy consumed, I grow stronger tenfold. During this war, I had done that to hundreds, if not thousands. My illusions became so powerful that they seemed real. They could confuse your sense of reality itself. But, there was something else they could do….” Legs snapped her fingers, taking them to the site of the battlefield. Yet, a dark shadow overcast them and a significant portion of the Daimyo’s army. Legs pointed upwards, directing Koharu’s attention to the projectile plummeting towards the earth, encased in flames. “They had gotten so powerful, that my illusions could become reality itself.” The flaming object could be seen clearly in the reflection of Koharu's eyes, which were now glassy and reflective, hinting at the presence of tears in her eyes. Koharu's mouth hung open in awe as the flaming object descended, her wonder overwhelming her senses so severely that she hadn't even considered for a second the possibility of danger. It wasn't until the object's shadow grew tenfold as it approached the Earth that Koharu snapped out of the beautiful shock of it all. Instinctively, seconds before the expected impact of the object, Koharu grabbed Leg's leg and buried her face in a much like a scared child and her mother. When the meteor struck the earth, it erupted into chunks of earth and a mist of debris, but there was something very cinematic about the entire process. The illusion had slowed as Legs continued her explanation of her past, allowing them to view the battle in slow motion. Legs tapped Koharu on the shoulder and beckoned her forward with her as she walked onto the battlefield. “I fought for three days, and for three nights until I finally collapsed from overusing my powers,” Legs begun monologuing, watching as her younger self charged through the army of samurai and marines, cutting down enemies, casting illusion to move them against each other, and whatever other means were necessary to continue fighting. She looked down at her collapsed body as the marines and samurai carefully approached her. “Of the remaining forces, I wiped out about half of them,” Legs revealed. “No…more like three-fifths. In fact, it was this battle that paved the way for a Shogun to reemerge in this country. Because I decimated this combined army, the one with the most men in the end was able to use their military might to take over, and it’s sad but she knew, more than anyone, knew what she was doing; placing her men in the vanguard and flanks. She kept them out of battle purposely, realizing this might happen.” Legs snapped out of her dialogue. “Anyway, it was this battle where I gained my first epithet, The War Goddess. I survived this battle, however. For someone like me, they needed a public execution. They intended to execute me right away, but Ryukyu was stupid. She tried too quickly to conquer the rest of Wano, and though she succeeded, I ruminated on my gifts in a jail cell while devoted months to fighting a war against the weakened lords. She wanted me dead more than anyone, but inadvertently, she saved me by her pettiness.” The illusion shifted to a beach with a marine vessel docked in the water. Sitting on the beach was a tall, black haired man known as Aoshin, another white-haired individual who Koharu would have easily recognized as Kosaka Isshin, and finally it was Legs who sat towards the water with Isshin. “We escaped, just us three. We stole a marine vessel, and we left Wano behind with the intent to return one day,” she continued, pointing to the ship. Thatch Vincent emerged from the deck of the ship, carrying with him a case of medical supplies. “During our escape, Isshin got hurt, and so we were forced to find a doctor immediately. We found Isshin, and he decided to join our little gang. Though, even out on the seas, we were met with some resistance. The marines had claimed we were threats to society and gave us all bounties..” Legs sat on the edge of the beach. The water rushed across her toes. It was a shame that she would never be able to enjoy the ocean. However, neither would the four other people who stood and sat around her. It had only been a few weeks since Legs escaped from Wano, and since then she had acquired what she thought to be powerful allies. Still, there was something that deeply bothered her; something that she couldn’t bring herself to share with the group. But, Isshin seemed to always know when something was bothering her. Maybe that’s why….. “Koyuki,” Isshin begun as he sat next to her. He turned his head to look at her. She sat their quietly, pointing out towards the ocean. “Hey Isshin. You know, when I left Wano, I thought what was past this ocean was freedom. But, there are only more enemies. Way more enemies…” Isshin nodded. “Yeah.” “Does that mean if we destroy all of our enemies, that we can finally be free?” “Yeah.” '' Legs watched the scene unfold with a light smile. "This is where I realized what I needed to do to achieve my dreams." The illusion began to fade away, pulling them back into her office. "If I were to become free, and craft a free world for my people, there was only one thing that I could do in this cruel, harsh world," Legs explained, continuing the conversation. "Attack. That's the only way that you can rebel. Your only option is to attack." She paused for a moment. "If only I had known that the Daimyō was lying, and that the world was like, I might not have become such a half assed piece of shit. It's too late now, though. The only choice for me is to face the consequences of my actions...and as a warrior, fulfill my duty to the bitter end." As she had done before, Koharu had trailed Legs and listened to her story intently. She played with the sleeves of her kimono, not out of boredom, but rather so she would not have to make eye contact with Legs during her speech; to Koharu, it felt rude to do so. So she kept her head down. "I-I'm sorry, Legs-sama..." Koharu whispered, still keeping her head down as Legs finished her story and they returned to the walls of Legs' office. “For what, Koharu?” Koharu looked up now, looking directly at Legs. Now, the tears in her eyes were visible as they were streaming down her face. In this state, Koharu looked much like a small and vulnerable child. She sniffled and wiped her tears from her face with her flappy sleeve as she tried to clear her throat. "For everything that h-happened to you..." She stammered. Legs smiled gently. “Koharu, don’t feel sorry for me. That’s not why I showed you my past. Earlier in our conversation, you mentioned that this had nothing to do with your power as much as it had to do with mine. But, that’s wrong.” Legs stood up from her chair and approached, Koharu, picking her up in her hand and pulled her closer to her face. “This world can be changed by anyone under one circumstance, and it doesn’t matter who they are, how strong they are. The only thing that matters if, no matter the situation, you can fight. Which is why I chose you that day, a month ago, Koharu. I saw that same fire in you, that I see in all that achieve greatness. The ability to attack…that isn’t something you can teach. So, Koharu; fight.” "Fight what?" Koharu asked meekly. Legs paused. “Huh!? That’s a good question!” A smile crept onto Koharu's face and she snickered lightly, covering her mouth with her hand. "That's ok. I think I know the answer." Koharu said with a delicate smile before she sprouted a pair of dragonfly wings from her back. After she said this, she jumped off of Leg's fingertips and flew down to the door on the other side of the room. Before she exited, she turned back to look at Legs and gave her a nod. ''Later that night... Koharu changed into her sleeping attire and untied her hair from the buns that she wore them in, allowing her hair to fall down the back of her neck. She crawled into the miniature bed that Legs had provided for her and snuggled up into the sheets, facing the window that overlooked the grand Flower Capital. Koharu blinked slowly as she watched the cherry blossom petals float past her window and she thought to herself. She noticed that one of the petals had floated into her room, signalling that her window was cracked open slightly. She moved over to the window's ledge and looked out at the expanse before her. Through the open window, it was all accessible. Taking a deep breath, Koharu reached out and grabbed the window's glass frame before closing it tightly. Category:Role-Plays Category:Finished Role-Plays